Which strategy is most effective for helping students recognize difficult words using prefixes and suffixes?

Isolating and reading any prefix or suffix before the whole word is an effective strategy for helping students recognize difficult words because it breaks down complex vocabulary into manageable parts. Understanding prefixes and suffixes provides students with clues about the word's meaning and grammatical function, enhancing their decoding skills. For instance, when students encounter the word "unhappiness," recognizing "un-" as a prefix meaning "not," and "-ness" as a suffix indicating a state or condition equips them to infer that the word refers to a state of not being happy.

This approach not only aids in word recognition but also empowers students to tackle unfamiliar vocabulary independently by analyzing word components. By focusing on prefixes and suffixes, students can build a stronger foundation in vocabulary that will assist them in various contexts and enhance their overall reading comprehension.